Local government minister Brandon Lewis has defended the government's shift away from a 'need-based' funding mechanism to an incentives driven system, claiming it puts councils 'in the driving seat' for their local economies. Mr Lewis was speaking after a finance debate in Parliament last week, where chair of the communities and local government select committee, Clive Betts queried the policy of grant distribution based on 'local authorities' ability to raise their own resources. 'Is that not a fundamental change?'
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